Delegates from Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Baltic states will gather in Aberdeen on Saturday for a board meeting of environmental group Kimo, which runs the Fishing for Litter project.
The meeting in Aberdeenshire Council’s headquarters will be dominated by discussions about marine litter and the work of Ospar – an organisation representing the governments of 15 countries which, together with the European Union, clubbed together to try to protect the north-east Atlantic from environmental harm.
Kimo UK co-ordinator Graham Humphries said: “Marine litter costs the fishing industry money, kills thousands of sea birds, fish and mammals every year and is an eyesore on our beaches.
“It is a serious problem but the good news is that awareness is growing and actions are now starting to be taken to tackle the problem.
“Organisations like Kimo have an important role to play in ensuring that this happens and I am pleased that we will be discussing the issue on Saturday.”
Fishing for Litter has grown substantially from a small scheme operating out of Lerwick harbour in 2005, when there were just a few vessels involved.
It encourages skippers to land litter they catch as part of their normal fishing activities.